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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28508154">A Winter Wonderland Proposal</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AhsokaLegend/pseuds/AhsokaLegend'>AhsokaLegend</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Adventures in Foxiyo [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Snowy winter cuteness, foxiyoweek2020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:49:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,869</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28508154</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AhsokaLegend/pseuds/AhsokaLegend</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What originally starts out as a winter walk turns into something more (aka some private moments between Commander Fox and Riyo Chuchi).</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Riyo Chuchi/CC-1010 | Fox</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Adventures in Foxiyo [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1911145</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Winter Wonderland Proposal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Loosely based off of the song “Winter Wonderland.”<br/> Foxiyo week 2020: Saturday - Secret: private, secluded, undercover<br/> Thank you @hrtiu for betaing!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Snow.</p>
<p>There’s nothing that scares Coruscant's inhabitants more than a rare winter storm. The day of the great freeze, everything stops: shops close, the Senate declares a recess, even the underworld criminals sleep the day away sheltered from the cold.</p>
<p>Yes, winter is an unwelcome guest on Coruscant. That is, to everyone except Riyo Chuchi. So when the planet falls under the influence to stay inside, Riyo takes her chance.</p>
<p>Stepping out from her apartment into the bitter morning air she shivers, whether due to the cold or excitement she doesn’t know. Shielding her eyes from the glare, she hops on her speeder and races through the empty skylanes. She hopes her boyfriend is having as great a day as her.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Commander Fox is having a rotten day.</p>
<p>Waking up with his head on his desk, the prospect of finishing his workload somewhat excites him… until he looks out the window. </p>
<p>Snow. Everywhere.</p>
<p>There goes the in-field training for Thire’s new squad and his typical patrol route. The situation worsens with the Chancellor’s message plastered across the holonet. The planet is locked down in a day-long state of emergency. No one is to leave their homes while they wait out the freeze. </p>
<p>An average citizen might take this as a vacation; Fox knows better. This setback has already ruined his plans. He can kiss goodbye the four security briefings filling his schedule. And it's taken so long to write up th—</p>
<p>A sudden knock at his door catches his attention.</p>
<p>“Go away,” he growls, glaring out the window at the offending flurries.</p>
<p>The door slides open anyway as someone steps into his office.</p>
<p>“I said—” his words die when he sees who’s entered.</p>
<p>“Riyo?” Fox asks, pleasantly surprised. “What are you doing here? The planet’s locked down.”</p>
<p>“Is it?” she asks, arriving beside him to peer out the window. Straining on her tiptoes, she makes a quick inspection of the frosty outside. “Guess I didn’t notice.”</p>
<p>“Should I be concerned as to why you’re here?”</p>
<p>“Only if you want to be.”</p>
<p>He rolls his eyes and pulls her into a hug. “You know you can come here whenever you want.”</p>
<p>“That’s good to hear, because I’ve got the perfect plan for our day.”</p>
<p>“Our day?”</p>
<p>“Yes! Come on a walk with me. We won’t have another opportunity like this.”</p>
<p>He looks at his desk, for once empty of flimsi and his unusually silent comm. “I’ve got nothing better to do,” he shrugs.</p>
<p>“Alright,” she says, lacing her arms through his, “it’s a date. Do you still have those winter clothes I bought you?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, why?”</p>
<p>She reaches up running her hand along his face. “I just think you look quite dashing without the helmet.”</p>
<p>He leans into her touch enjoying their closeness in the safety of his office. Displaying intimacy like this isn’t one of his strong suits, but each day Riyo manages to break down his barriers in a new way and remind him how lucky he is to have her. </p>
<p>He chuckles bringing her hand down into his. “Red, fuzzy hat it is.”</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>It’s times like this Riyo’s glad Kamino is a water world; Fox has no idea how to have fun with snow. </p>
<p>“See, you stick out your tongue,” she says pointing out a rather large flake falling towards them, “and then you catch it.”</p>
<p>“Seems easy enough,” Fox says, studying the snowflakes with intense concentration. They’re taking a break from their walk since the snow is coming down harder. Each flake further coats the world in glistening white as they prepare for their competition.</p>
<p>“Ready?” Riyo asks.</p>
<p>Fox nods, already focusing on the fastest method to collect ten snowflakes before her. </p>
<p>“Alright then, three, two, one… GO!” </p>
<p>They break off from each other, heads held up to the sky. Fox may be Commander of the Coruscant Guard, but she has years of experience running through her Pantoran blood. She is going to win that prize. </p>
<p>“<em>Kriff</em>,” Fox curses off to her right. </p>
<p>Confidence growing at his outburst, she increases her speed, catching another flake in one go. This will be a swift victory. </p>
<p>“Ten!” she shouts, feeling the last ice crystals melt on her tongue. She turns to make a face at Fox who’s pouting next to her. </p>
<p>“How many did you get?” she asks, genuinely curious to know how many he captured.  </p>
<p>He shuffles next to her, looking embarrassed. “I got… three.”</p>
<p>“Three?!”</p>
<p>“Stop laughing, I didn’t know to take into account the velocity of the wind!”</p>
<p>She nearly doubles over from laughing so hard. <em>Three</em>, she can barely contain herself. How did he only manage three?</p>
<p>“So what’s this prize you win?” he asks, leaning down to see her face better. </p>
<p>“Nothing much,” she gathers herself together, tapping into the more calculated grace of Senator Chuchi to complete her plan. “Just a little something I want to share with you.” </p>
<p>She steps closer to him, well-versed in the effect her presence has on Fox. At this proximity she can practically hear his teeth chattering from the cold. Reaching up, she holds his face and brings herself even nearer. It takes him no time to catch on, eagerly closing his eyes in anticipation. That’s when she takes her shot and pushes him backwards into a snowbank.</p>
<p>“Hey!” he shouts, flustered and semi-trapped in the snow. “That wasn’t funny!” </p>
<p>“You have to admit it was a bit funny,” she giggles, bending down and pressing a kiss to his lips. “How else would I convince you to make snow angels?”</p>
<p>She plops down next to him and grabs his hand, feeling the warmth pulsing through his body. “Start moving your arms up and down and your legs side to side like so.” </p>
<p>After a quick demonstration, he follows her instructions perfectly as she knew he would. With Fox next to her she’s reminded of her favorite winter memories on Pantora and the fun that comes with a good freeze. She’s glad to have this chance to share a part of her culture with Fox and take his mind off work for a day. Their time together, though less than she would like, is the greatest treasure she has found on Coruscant.  </p>
<p>“Now slowly stand without touching the area.”</p>
<p>They pull themselves out of the snow still connected throughout the whole ordeal. She knows holding his hand while making the angels would warp their wings, but she can’t bring herself to care. Perfection is overrated; it’s the memories he will keep long after the day is done that matter to her. </p>
<p>Below them are two snow angels: Fox’s a large one with sweeping wings, and hers a small one with a well-angled skirt. And in the middle of it all, two connecting wings matched in length and width. What she wouldn’t give for a holo of their creation. </p>
<p>“They look nice,” Fox admits, “almost as nice as you.”</p>
<p>He brushes some forgotten flakes from her hair gently hovering his gloves over the lilac swirls pinned up around her headpiece.</p>
<p>“Hmm, I missed some,” he says, and before she can ask what he means she’s surprised with a kiss of his own. </p>
<p>He’s warm, warmer than she thought he’d be after lying in the snow. As he pulls back she leans forward not wanting to separate from him in exchange for the frosty mercy of the storm. </p>
<p>“And that,” he says, standing close enough for her to see the fog of his breath, “is payback.”</p>
<p>“I should push you in the snow more often,” is the first response that comes to her mind. She moves closer hoping he notices her obvious want to feel the heat of his mouth against her lips again.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry,” he says with a smirk, “I’ll do it for free.”</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>A few wonderful kisses later and they’re back on their walk. </p>
<p>Though Fox has had some training for environments like this, he lags behind Riyo’s lively steps. She practically skips through the snow while he trudges along at her side. He doesn’t complain—any time alone with Riyo trumps bad weather in his mind.</p>
<p>The snow is nice and all, far prettier than he could have imagined from frozen water, but it’s Riyo’s soft glances and warm touch that keep him out in the cold. </p>
<p>“Fox, look!” Riyo points towards a figure off in the distance.</p>
<p>“Careful, don’t want anyone to see us.” He’d rather not let a random citizen ruin their day.</p>
<p>“No, it’s not that. Come on!” she gestures for him to follow her as she races off towards the figure.</p>
<p>“Riyo!” he shouts chasing after her. </p>
<p>He slows down as they approach, sensing no danger before them. What looked like a person at first is now clearly a droid, and a frozen one at that. A thin sheet of frost covers the thing from head to toe. Looks like the cold became too much for its hard drive hours ago. </p>
<p>Riyo brushes away a section of frost from the droid’s eyes. Noticing something he doesn’t, she gasps and takes a step back.</p>
<p>“What is it?” Fox asks, hand on his blaster ready to take out the droid. </p>
<p>“Oh, Fox,” Riyo says, scanning the immobile form, “I knew I recognized this droid. It’s Senator Amidala’s.”</p>
<p>He lets go of his blaster and crosses his arms, “What’s it doing out here?”</p>
<p>“Hmm,” Riyo mutters to herself as she scans their surroundings. “We’re decently close to Senator Amidala’s apartment… perhaps a klick or two away.” She reaches up and brushes some more frost off the unfortunate droid. “He probably went for errands and got caught in the storm.”</p>
<p>She stands there for a few seconds, deep in thought about their unexpected intruder.</p>
<p>Fox uses the lull to admire Riyo’s features against the white winter backdrop. With her eyebrows scrunched together and the cold breeze blasting her cheeks deep blue, he thanks his lucky stars. Every day he’s grateful this woman chose to love him. </p>
<p>The small smile overtaking his face thinking of her turns to a grimace when he sees the way she sways on her feet. Oh no, they’re going to get involved aren’t they?</p>
<p>“Fox! I’ve got it! Let’s take him to that overhang under the building,” she says, pointing across the street to one of the few areas left untouched by the elements. A high wall connected to an extended awning encloses the entrance of a closed hotel. “It’ll be the perfect place for him to thaw out when we brush him off.” </p>
<p>He glances at the distant dry space and back at the troublesome droid. “Are you sure you want to do this? We could just continue our walk.” </p>
<p>She grabs his hands and puffs her lip out, succeeding in appearing like a cute tooka-cat in need of attention, “Come on Fox, it won’t take that long. Wouldn’t you help Thorn or Stone if they lost something important to them?” </p>
<p>Her hands are warm, so warm that the gloves can’t contain it. He sighs in defeat, <em>kriff it</em>, she knows too many of his weaknesses—the one topping his list being the whirlpool of stars in her eyes. </p>
<p>“Alright, alright,” he says, sending a squeeze back her way. “Let’s get the hunk of junk over to shelter.”</p>
<p>A battle of wills ensues concerning who will carry the droid, and they come to the conclusion to drag it together. </p>
<p>Finally reaching shelter, they begin dusting off the frosted-over machine. It takes a minute or two, but the droid’s eyes light up when his head is cleared of frost. </p>
<p>“Good heavens!” the droid shouts, startling Fox and making Riyo jump. The droid swivels his head around within its limited mobility. “Where am I? Who are you?” he asks, head pointed in Fox’s direction. “This is it. I am going to die. I knew it was only a matter of time.”</p>
<p>“Whoa there,” Riyo says, coming into the droid’s line of sight. </p>
<p>“Senator Chuchi!” the droid says. “Thank the Maker! You’ve come to rescue me.”</p>
<p>“Err, not exactly,” Fox responds. “We found you frozen out there and were thawing you out.”</p>
<p>“What’s your name?” Riyo asks.</p>
<p>“Ah yes, I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations. At your service ma’am.” C-3PO tries to bow his head. </p>
<p>“Nice to meet you officially C-3PO,” Riyo says. “My…” she glances at Fox, uncertainty evident in her stance. </p>
<p>He steps in to fill the awkward silence carried by her pause. Coming to stand next to her, he picks up the conversation, “You’re lucky we found you on our walk. Your senator and everyone else is staying in because of the snow.”</p>
<p>C-3PO is uncharacteristically quiet for a moment. Fox can practically see the circuits firing in his central processing unit. He looks over the two of them again. “Are you secretly married too?” </p>
<p>“Married?!” Fox shouts.</p>
<p>“Too?” Riyo asks. </p>
<p>“Oh!” C-3PO exclaims, “I apologize for the assumption. It seems the ice is still impeding some of my circuits.”</p>
<p>“That’s not what I’d call it,” Fox grumbles, guiding Riyo off to the side. </p>
<p>Once they are a safe distance away, he turns to her. “The droid knows.”</p>
<p>“I agree. We must have given something away.” </p>
<p>“Got any ideas?” he asks, glaring at C-3PO over Riyo’s head. “We can’t wipe his memory without Senator Amidala noticing.”</p>
<p>Riyo is quiet as they mull over their options. Fox arrives at a few ideas, none of which seem applicable to the situation. Watching Riyo, he finds her line of sight captured again by C-3PO. </p>
<p>“What if… we go along with it?” she says. </p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“Think about it, admitting to the droid’s perceived truth is only second best to wiping his memory. If we pretend to be engaged as he believes, the situation ends (before it begins) with all suspicion overturned.”</p>
<p>“You sound like a senator,” he teases. </p>
<p>“I am a senator,” she says with a smile, “but I am also Pantoran. I’ve seen the effects of extreme cold exposure on one’s circuits. C-3PO will need to be briefly shut down for repairs when he returns to Padme—” </p>
<p>“Meaning he could forget when his circuits are replaced,” Fox finishes.</p>
<p>She nods. “We’ll have a good chance at that, and in the case he remembers we can swear him to secrecy ahead of time.”</p>
<p>Fox probably has a dopey grin on his face hearing her talk strategy, but he doesn’t care. Smart, funny, and beautiful, he must be the luckiest clone alive—and yes he’s including Bly in the count. He loops his arm for Riyo to hold as they return to C-3PO. </p>
<p>Before they’re in earshot, Fox whispers, “You know, outside of the situation, I wouldn’t mind being mistaken for a married couple.”</p>
<p>Earning a bright smile from her, they continue on with their plan. Showing affection in public may be difficult, but it somehow appears less daunting knowing Riyo supports him, and the droid’s possible reboot doesn’t hurt either.</p>
<p>They’ve decided Riyo is going to bridge the awkwardness and restart the conversation, and what better way to approach C-3PO than to dive straight into the hard questions.</p>
<p>“What did you mean by ‘too’?” Riyo asks the increasingly flustered droid.</p>
<p>“Well, I—there was nothing I meant by that. You know mistress Padme, watching too many holodramas.” He looks down, using his limited mobility to keep his gaze averted from the couple. “Please forget I said that. There was no ill-intent behind my words.”</p>
<p>“Don’t sweat it, shiny,” Fox says, sending a loving glance down at Riyo. “You surprised us is all.”</p>
<p>Gaining a nod of approval from her, the senator continues addressing C-3PO. “To answer your previous question. No, we’re not secretly married, but you can do the job when we’re ready.”</p>
<p>Fox raises his eyebrows at his girlfriend. If that’s what she wants they can discuss it later. He’d been more on the path of one of his brothers officiating a future ceremony.</p>
<p>“Oh, Senator Chuchi!” the droid shouts, eyes glowing a brighter yellow, “I’d be honored to assist in any capacity. This is truly the dream of any protocol droid. Wait until I tell Senator Amidala!” </p>
<p>“Hold it there, shiny,” Fox says, gripping the droid’s shoulder. “Let’s keep this on the downlow for now, understand?” </p>
<p>“Of course, sir,” C-3PO answers, “I would not dream of ruining your wedding plans.” </p>
<p>“Good,” he says, patting the droid’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“That being said, I do have a number of ideas for a wedding.”</p>
<p>Riyo plops herself down on the duracrete as Fox starts clearing the rest of the frost from the droid. Pulling out a mini data pad, Fox sees her start typing into a new document. </p>
<p>“I am ready when you are C-3PO,” Riyo says, sending a smirk in Fox’s direction. He sticks his tongue out in response to her taunt. The droid better give her some good ideas.</p>
<p>“Well, to start out you need a proper guest list. After that comes the decorations and the venue. My dear, have you picked out a dress yet? It’s practically the most important part for the bride-to-be. My mistress laments from time to time how she should have spent more time picking her dress, but we all make sacrifices during wartime…”</p>
<p>Choosing to ignore that last part, Fox listens to C-3PO ramble about bridesmaids and appetizers for another hour. He doesn’t mind how long it takes to defrost the droid. Each time he spots Riyo’s excitement at planning a possible wedding, his heart feels like it’s going to leap out of his chest.</p>
<p>Their wedding, their future, he feels light just thinking about it. A year ago he would have never let his wildest dreams carry him to his current destination. </p>
<p>A future with Riyo, he likes the sound of that. </p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>The fireplace is Riyo’s favorite part of her apartment. She can not imagine it feeling like home without one roaring in the corner filling the empty space with light and warmth. </p>
<p>“You’re hogging the blanket,” Fox sleepily grumbles next to her. </p>
<p>Except now she has him to fill that role. She doubts anyone would believe her if she told them about this side of Fox. He’s a cuddler through and through, especially when he’s tired. </p>
<p>She feels him scoot closer to her, burrowing deeper under the blankets and into her side. The crackling fire keeps them company as they lounge on their make-shift pillow bed, its glow illuminates Fox’s resting face against her own. Riyo runs her hands through his hair, appreciating the way the strands curl under her fingertips. </p>
<p>The snow started falling heavier once the sun set. It’s likely the planetary lockdown will not be lifted in the morning. Seeing Fox relaxed next to her, it doesn’t seem like a bad fate by any means. </p>
<p>“The way the snow is coming down I would say we are in for another day of snow-induced quarantine.” </p>
<p>“Another day with you,” Fox mumbles, “must be dreaming.”</p>
<p>She smiles, feeling the warmth of his words and the roaring fire at her back. “Did you mean what you said earlier?”</p>
<p>“Um, what’d I say?” his eyes open, drawing her into his sphere all over again.</p>
<p>“That you wouldn’t mind being mistaken for a married couple.”</p>
<p>He’s quiet for a moment. “I wouldn’t have said something I didn’t mean.” </p>
<p>They both sit up, Fox shrugging off the blanket, Riyo joining him. </p>
<p>He’s holding her hand, rubbing his thumb across the back of it like he does when he’s nervous. He takes a breath, “Riyo, today was the best day of my life. It made me think we have a real chance at a future together.” </p>
<p>They’ve talked about marriage before. She knows he’s nervous about setting up a permanent place in her life and the consequences of doing so. </p>
<p>What started out as simple companionship and friendliness has blossomed into something more over the years. She can’t imagine her life without Fox, and frankly she wouldn’t want to exist without him.</p>
<p>The world is against them. If anyone were to find out… well, she’s become an expert in blocking out those kinds of thoughts. Who would dare to perform such a union? A clone and a senator, by all accounts, should not be possible. </p>
<p>Yet, love is a fickle thing. Like the snow that falls outside her window, it strikes unexpectedly. A man like Fox doesn’t come along every day. He’s her best friend, her commander, and so much more than property of the Republic. </p>
<p>He continues, messing with the blanket in his free hand, watching it instead of her face. “I have nothing I can offer you except my love. It’s not much, but…” he moves to one knee pulling something out of his pocket.</p>
<p>“I’ve been carrying this for a while now, the timing—it never felt right until today.” He turns a braided ring between his fingers. Though painted gold, she recognizes the thin strands of metal. How could she not? Besides flimsi, Fox’s office is filled with bags of caf grounds secured with the same metal strings. For the past few months, she has found crumpled bits surrounding his work area. At the time she’d asked about them only to receive a shrug and a change of topic. Now, she has her answer. </p>
<p>All this time he was making a ring himself. The symbolism is not lost on her. Besides his brothers and her, caf is one of the few comforts in Fox’s life… and he’s giving it away. Tears prick the corner of her eyes at the humble man before her baring his soul with no expectations on her answer. Stars, she loves him.</p>
<p>“Riyo,” he whispers her name softly in that caring voice only she has the privilege to hear, “would you marry me?”</p>
<p>She doesn’t need to think. For Fox she would do anything. </p>
<p>“Yes,” she pulls his hands to her own, kissing them gently. </p>
<p>He shakes when he helps her put on the home-made ring. She admires it in the firelight, each twist of the metal strands formed in a bond more personal than could be expressed by a diamond. </p>
<p>Fox’s eyes shine with tears like her own, tears filled with worries for the future beaten back by a shared hope of a brighter tomorrow. </p>
<p>“Riyo, I… I...” </p>
<p>She closes her eyes and moves forward, touching her forehead to his, letting him know everything will be okay. In what seems like an instant his shaking stops. She feels the change overcome him as he leans in resting against her. </p>
<p>“I love you,” he whispers.  </p>
<p>A smile flits across her lips, one she finds is contagious after pressing a kiss to Fox’s own. </p>
<p>Though their future is uncertain, she’s confident they can make it through. They will charge into their future unafraid, confident that their love will sustain and grow no matter how dark the nights become. </p>
<p>But for now, this private moment is more than enough. Falling asleep in each other’s arms as the snow falls down, she feels connected to something greater than herself. </p>
<p>Her last glimpse is of that magic snow falling outside. As her eyes flicker shut, ending this marvelous day, she knows no matter what the future holds, with the two of them together, they can face anything. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy New Year and Merry Christmas to all of you! Here’s to a great 2021 filled with stories and peace :)</p>
<p>Tumblr: @ahsokalegend</p></blockquote></div></div>
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